Who discovered olivine?
(N.B. The “chrysolithas” of Pliny (79) is believed to be topaz.) The earliest name given to an undisputed olivine group species was chrysolit (chrysolite) and was named by Johan Gottschalk Wallerius in 1747, although the name chrysolite was later used by Balthasar Georges Sage in 1777 for what is now known as prehnite.
What is olivine used for?
Most olivine is used in metallurgical strategies as a slag conditioner. High-magnesium olivine (forsterite) is introduced to blast furnaces to take away impurities from metallic and to shape a slag. Olivine has also been used as a refractory material. It is used to make refractory brick and used as a casting sand.
Why is olivine important to life?
Importantly, olivine, one of the most abundant silicate minerals on Earth, could have contributed promoting prebiotic reactions.
How did olivine get its name?
Identification and paragenesis. Olivine is named for its typically olive-green color, thought to be a result of traces of nickel, though it may alter to a reddish color from the oxidation of iron.
Where is olivine found in the world?
Olivine as a gemstone is mostly mined at the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona to create small olivine gemstones infused with chromite or other minerals. Olivine used for larger productions such as dolomitic and serpentine marble is typically mined in Myanmar and Pakistan.
Where is olivine found in the earth?
Olivine occurs in both mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks and as a primary mineral in certain metamorphic rocks. Mg-rich olivine crystallizes from magma that is rich in magnesium and low in silica. That magma crystallizes to mafic rocks such as gabbro and basalt.
What makes olivine unique?
Olivine has a very high crystallization temperature compared to other minerals. That makes it one of the first minerals to crystallize from a magma. During the slow cooling of a magma, crystals of olivine may form and then settle to the bottom of the magma chamber because of their relatively high density.
Is forsterite a Nesosilicate?
Forsterite is associated with igneous and metamorphic rocks and has also been found in meteorites….
| Forsterite | |
|---|---|
| Forsterite (big tabular and colorless) on sanidine (little colorless crystals) with hematite (reddish) | |
| General | |
| Category | Nesosilicates |
Where can I find olivine?
Olivine has been found in stony and stony-iron meteorites that orbit near Mars and Jupiter. Olivine is also found in distinct form on the parts of a planet or asteroid near the mantle-core boundary.
What does hypersthene meaning?
Like bronzite, it is sometimes cut and polished as a gemstone. The name “hypersthene” comes from the Greek and means “over strength”, and is an allusion to its being harder than the amphibole mineral hornblende (a mineral with which it is often confused).
